Tex-Mex Night

Starter: roast squash (crown prince) soup

The crown prince squash looks similar to a pumpkin but with blue-green skin, so we came to affectionately refer to it as the zombie pumpkin! The flavour when roasted is similar to butternut but subtly distinct and works nicely with some warming spices.

Main: chilli con carne with rice

Made with fresh red chilli, roasted red chilli and a ‘walking’ scotch bonnett – you throw it into the pot whole but with string tied to the stalk so you can pull it out once the desired level of heat has been reached.

The perfect opportunity to make a dessert I have long been day-dreaming about. Using this recipe, with a few tweaks of course, the result exceeded all expectation. It was one of the most decadent, intensely chocolatey and squidgy textured desserts I’ve ever made.